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The Daily Grind: Do you play in self-enforced hardcore mode?
The permadeath-in-MMOs issue has been debated to death. Most of us have probably either played in a Diablo-esque hardcore mode or gaped at the stones required to publish a true MMORPG with permadeath (hi, Salem). But who says you need game mechanics to make permadeath a reality? I've gamed with roleplayers who took their characters deadly seriously and would delete their characters if they were killed off within the context of the game. (So much for the idea that roleplayers are casuals, eh?) Their web of self-inflicted rules is so complex (maiming? dice rolls? emote-combat?) that playing with such RPers can actually become stressful, especially if you don't want to be responsible for their having to delete and reroll. What about you folks? Do you play or roleplay in a self-enforced hardcore mode? Do you do it because it's fun, because it makes gameplay more intense, or because you like a good challenge? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Paradox's Björn Johannessen hosts Salem Q&A
Paradox Interactive's upcoming MMO Salem has garnered a good bit of attention due to the game's unique frontier-fantasy setting and the fact that it will feature -- gasp! -- permadeath. Of course, as with any mold-breaking game that comes along, there are bound to be a lot of questions about how the game's mechanics will work. Salem's Creative Director, Björn Johannessen, realizes this, and decided to stop by Reddit for an AMA session. For the uninitiated, AMA stands for "Ask Me Anything," and that's exactly what the fine Redditors over at /r/IAmA did. A wealth of information can be found over at the thread, whether you're interested in the game's influences, the way permadeath will work, the reasoning behind permadeath's inclusion in the game, or more. So if you're interested in Salem to any degree, head on over to Reddit and give the thread a look.
'Hide-Behinds and Squonks and Gumberoos': Bjorn Johannessen talks Salem
Salem, the upcoming MMO from Paradox Interactive, has gained more and more attention in recent weeks. Perhaps because a fair amount of this attention has been of the "Wait, what is this game about?" variety, Creative Director Bjorn Johannessen sat down with Rock, Paper, Shotgun to talk Salem. Bjorn describes the game as "a similar premise" to Wurm Online, in that everything in the world is player-made with the exception of natural objects. It's not just a bland Wurm-clone, however. The world of Salem is a little darker, with a harsh justice system, witchcraft, and otherworldly creatures like Hide-Behinds -- creepy predators that hide behind things as they stalk you. Bjorn explains part of the justice system, discussing what happens when a player kills another (or commits any crime, for that matter): "He leaves a little scent behind, called the Stench of Crime, a kind of clue. Those clues can be used to track the crime; I get up this little window here, where I can choose to track the perpetrator, the claim of the perpetrator, or the item that was stolen. [...] And if the crime is serious enough [...] I can also use this clue to summon the character into the game, if he is offline." There's much more, so head to Rock, Paper, Shotgun for the full interview!
Get an eyeful of Salem with an hour-long tour
Ever since we heard about Salem, the crazy mash-up of sandbox tools, crafting, colonial setting, and permadeath, we've been understandably curious about just how the game will pan out. While it's still in the pre-alpha stage, Paradox Interactive hosted a Twitch.tv broadcast yesterday, during which a trio of devs showed off the game while talking about its features. If you missed it, you're still in luck: The broadcast was recorded and saved for posterity. In it, Creative Director Bjorn Johannessen, "Code Gnome" Frank Tolf, and Senior Producer Gordon Van Dyke want to give viewers a feel for how the game functions and feels. It's important to note that the demonstration doesn't begin for real until the 14-minute mark, so unless you really like elevator music and waiting, you might want to skip ahead to there. You can watch the full video after the jump.
Salem livestream set for September 27th
Paradox Interactive is highlighting a new opportunity for fans of the upcoming Salem MMORPG to get a first-hand look at how game development is progressing. A live demo will be streamed over Paradox's Twitch.tv channel on Tuesday, September 27th, offering curious onlookers the first real glimpse of the game that bills itself as "the crafting MMO" while also featuring PvP and permadeath. Salem is a free-to-play browser-based MMORPG that takes place in a fantastical New England, and though the game has its share of "light-hearted gothic" elements and "a charming and cute art style," it also has quite a dark side in terms of hardcore mechanics and dangerous creatures based on colonial folklore.
Gamescom 2011: Paradox releases new Salem teaser
A couple of months ago, we were treated to a sneak peek of Salem, the new browser-based MMO from Paradox Interactive. Aside from its colonial America setting and Salem witch trial underpinnings, the defining feature of this odd MMORPG is permadeath. Today, Paradox has a released a new trailer for the title at Gamescom, and though there's no gameplay footage to be had, the atmosphere conjured by the clip is nothing short of bizarre. The video runs a tad over a minute and a half, and perhaps the most interesting thing about it is a subtitle that shows up after the ending title and proclaims that Salem is "the crafting MMO." It's the crafting MMO with permadeath and a PvP focus, if previous Paradox releases still hold true, and if that doesn't tweak your curiosity, well, head past the cut and watch the video anyway.
Verizon's next big LTE push coming July 21st
You can't stop Verizon's nationwide LTE push -- and even hoping to contain it seems like a bit much to ask these days. The company made its last major 4G service rollout just under a week ago, and now it's looking to do the same next month, adding a slew of new markets to its coverage umbrella and expanding in a few existing locales on July 21st. New markets include Portland, OR, Toledo, OH, Winston-Salem and Raleigh-Durham, NC, Maui, HI, Wichita, KS, and Knoxville, TN, to name a few. Coverage will be expanded in Seattle, Louisville, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Las Vegas. The full list of high-speed recipients can be found in the link below.
A sneak peek at Salem
Are you tired of the same Orcs-Elves-and-Dwarves high fantasy in your MMORPGs? Perhaps you're looking for something more grounded in reality? Then Salem might just be for you. Instead of dropping you into another Azeroth, it sticks you in Colonial America during the time of the Salem Witch Trials. Not a whole lot is known about the browser-launched MMO from newcomer studio Paradox Interactive, but MMORPG.com has a scoop that reveals a few details. For one, it's not another themepark MMO. It's a sandbox game with a focus on crafting and open PvP. Oh, and one more thing: When you die, you're dead for good. That's right, Salem will feature permadeath. While your new character will inherit your dead one's belongings, you'll still have to develop that new character from scratch. For full information on this unique new MMO, check out the full article.
A wrap-up of the Paradox Interactive MMO conference in NYC
If you're unfamiliar with Paradox Interactive, you could be forgiven -- it's never been a flashy studio. But it does have a very solid track record of producing historical simulations and strategy games, including the critically acclaimed Mount & Blade and the Europa Universalis series. So when the company's New York convention includes two upcoming online games, it's with a background of producing solid games with a strongly simulationist angle. Two titles, Dreamlords Resurrection and Salem, were both on display at the conference, with two very different foci but similar levels of polish. Dreamlords Resurrection is an MMORTS with an emphasis on player armies rather than on city building. Players take on the role of a newly awakened Dreamlord attempting to work with allied players to claim as much land as possible... with the caveat that the game's regular resets will keep any one group of players from becoming too overpowering. Salem, meanwhile, is a sandbox game that plans to include not only open PvP but the threat of permanent death, forcing players to hopefully band together and police behavior. Both sound like interesting takes on the genre that will give players plenty to mull over as they move through development.
One life in the New World: Salem MMO to feature permadeath
Permadeath is a topic that's brought up on a regular basis in MMO discussion circles, usually featuring a cast of characters that span the full spectrum of the debate. Is there a burning desire for the risk and finality of a permadeath system in MMOs? Would players flock to or flee from such a game? And how would it work in such a way to retain players instead of alienating them? Game Designer Bjorn Johannessen is working hard on the answers for those questions in his new MMORPG, with the working title of Salem. Developed by Paradox Interactive, this free-to-play title is set in New England during the early period of North American colonization and features players stepping off the boats from Europe to make their way in uncharted wilderness. Like Wurm Online and Minecraft, Salem will focus heavily on crafting as players forge the tools, buildings and weapons they need to survive. For Salem's aesthetics, Johannessen named H.P. Lovecraft and Tim Burton's gothic horror as sources of inspiration, and the MMO will include magic and witchcraft as potential paths. Over all of this is the specter of permanent death: "When your character dies, he stays dead," Johannessen said matter-of-factly. This is made even harsher by the fact that Salem will allow free-for-all PvP, which means that anyone can attack you without provocation. Player buildings can be razed and their corpses looted, but Johannessen hopes that the players will band together to protect each other and mete out justice. You can watch Bjorn Johannessen's introduction to the game after the jump.
New Army of Two: The 40th Day viral video has its priorities straight
All work and no play may make Jack a dull boy, but for the folks at EA Montreal making Army of Two: The 40th Day, playing is no longer an option -- unless they're playing their own game as a part of their job. That's what this latest viral video marketing the game shows, as Rios and Salem continue checking in with their developers and try to keep them on the right track. One thing we will say is that this new video is decidedly more downbeat than the pair's previous jaunt through the office. What's the matter, guys? Does somebody have a case of the Mondays?
New AoT: 40th Day screens drop shield, charge head first
We're misleading you a bit. The screenshots aren't quite dropping anything themselves, so much as the stars of upcoming bromance sequel, Army of Two: The 40th Day, are putting down their shields. Donning masks with flames -- so as to terrify enemies into thinking they're being advanced upon by White Zombie, of course -- Salem and Rio are clearly concerned with meeting attire standards for the professional workplace: sporty, yet hardcore. That's what those bad guys get for standing in the way of movie night! %Gallery-73808%
Leaked Sprint WiMAX roadmap names new cities for 2009 rollout
Well, what do we have here? One of our readers sent us a screenshot from Sprint's Sales Portal that included the above roadmap for its WiMAX rollout this year. A number of the yet-to-be-launched cities we've already heard about -- Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, and Charlotte -- but to the best of our knowledge, the rest of them are brand new entries. Additionally, Baltimore residents can look forward to some sort of coverage update in the fourth quarter. We'd be lying if we said we weren't jealous that Salem (population 3,000) and Milledgeville (population 19,000) are getting the wireless network before most of us on staff, but the service has to start somewhere, right? No indication here of 2010 plans, but last we heard that included Boston, Houston, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. Update: As tipster Carlos points out, Clearwire's website already has some coverage maps for some of the cities listed in the third quarter, as well as some markets not listed here.
